The Truth of The Loss
by OneTreeHill12
Summary: Lily doesn't know how her father died. She only knows that it was her brother's dad's fault. So she asks Lucas. He tells her about the day and realizes that it was Keith's anniversary the day she asked. What happens in the coach's office? Does Lily get the answers she wants? Does Lucas?


Lucas sat in his office, looking over plays that he was going to teach his players that day when his door opened. He looked up, expecting a player but was greeted at the sight of his little sister, Lily. She walked in hesitantly and closed the door, "Hey, Luke." Lucas sat back in his chair, "Hey, little sister. Aren't you supposed to be in class?"

Lily shook her head, "I have a free period and I wanted to ask you something." Lucas nodded, "Okay, kiddo. What's up?" Lily took a deep breath and sat down, "How did my dad die?"

Lucas stared at her, taken aback by the question. She was a sophomore in high school. Surely their mom already told her the truth. He leaned forward and placed his hands in his desk, "Mom hasn't told you?" Lily shook her head, "All she told me was that you dad took him from me. But she won't tell me how."

Lucas rubbed his head, "Well, maybe you should just ask mom." Lily shook her head, "I can't. Everytime I bring it up, she shuts me down. She keeps telling me that same thing. That it was Dan. But how? Please, Lucas."

Lucas closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. Lily had every right to know what happened. She was Keith's daughter for god's sake. Lucas reopened his eyes and sighed, "Alright, I'll tell you. But you can't just leave here and get mad at mom. Okay?" Lily nodded and Lucas sighed again.

"You heard that when I was in high school, we did a time capsule, right?" Lily nodded her head, listening intently. Lucas continued, "Well, that time capsule wasn't supposed to be opened for fifty years. It was a thing that we were supposed to look back on and see how we've changed. Well, someone decided to open it too early. They opened the time capsule the same year that it was made, just a few weeks after it was made."

Lily tilted her head, "Why?"Lucas shrugged, "To be funny, I guess. Well, one of the kids on the time capsule had talked about how everyone was fake and liars and such. So, when the time capsule was released, that kid had so much heat on him. He had badmouthed every single popular person and it was bad for him. His name was Jimmy Edwards."

"I've heard that name before."

Lucas nodded, "Yeah, I bet you have. Well, that night, me and Mouth decided to see if we could protect him, see if we could help him. He was one of our friends before I had joined the team. Then, we just drifted apart. Anyways, we went to a concert together and I went off to find Haley and Mouth went off to talk to Brooke. We left Jimmy alone without thinking about it. It was a mistake. One of the guys Jimmy dissed had a backstage pass like Mouth, Jimmy and I. He found Jimmy. The guy's name was Russ. When Russ found Jimmy, he and his friends beat him up. After that, Jimmy left. A few weeks later, he came to school with a gun."

Lily gasped. She knew what was going to happen because she was told of the school shooting, but not much about it.

Lucas nodded, "Yeah. Well, Russ and his friends had broken into Jimmy's locker and were kicking and throwing all of his stuff down the hall. Then, as Russ walked away, he slammed his shoulder into Jimmy. Jimmy turned around and pulled out the gun. I was told that when he held it, he didn't look evil or mad. I was told that he looked scared. Well, he shot the gun and it hit Peyton."

The door opened as Lucas said his wife's name and Peyton walked in, "What hit Peyton?" She walked over to Lily and gave her a hug, "Hey, cutie. What's Lucas talking about now?" Lily wiped a tear away, "The school shooting where you got shot." Peyton looked at Lucas. He sighed, "She wanted to know how Keith was killed."

Peyton nodded, "Mind if I hear the rest of the story?" Lucas nodded and Peyton sat down. Lucas rubbed the back of his head, "Anyways, the bullet hit Peyton and she managed to find her way to the library. She thought she was only cut by glass. Anyways, Brooke made it out as the basketball team was getting to school. She told me that there was a gun in the school and that Peyton was still in there. Nathan immediately thought of Haley because this was when they were trying to repair their marriage. He ran into the building and I followed. When I saw the blood, I broke off from Nathan and followed the blood. I found Peyton behind a bookshelf that she was hiding behind. She cried when she saw me. She didn't want me to leave. So I didn't. I stayed with her. That was the day she told me she loved me, the day she kissed me because she thought that she was going to die."

Lucas looked over at Peyton and they stared at each other for a few minutes, remembering that day. Lily cleared her throat, "No offence or anything, but this isn't sounding like how my dad died. How does you and Peyton being stuck in a library relate to the death of my dad?"

Lucas lifted his hand, "I'm coming up to it. This is just the information leading up to his death. Anyways, we sat in the library until she couldn't stay awake. I knew I had to get her out of there so I removed all the barricades I had placed in front of the doors and I carried her out. I forgot that when the library doors closed, they slammed because they were so heavy. That alerted Jimmy that we were there. I continued down the hall and when I got to the door that was broken from the shot, he was there. He was scared and crying. He didn't know what was going on and then Keith came into the hall. That scared Jimmy even more. Keith stepped in front of me and Peyton and stayed there as I made my way out of the hall. But he didn't leave. You see, Keith was the kind of guy who would try to help anyone he loved. And he loved Jimmy. So, he stayed behind and tried to talk him out of killing himself. But Jimmy was too far gone. He shot himself. Then Dan, my dad, came in and picked up the gun, aimed it at Keith and shot him. Now, for the longest time, everyone thought that Jimmy killed Keith. I know I did. But then I found out that a girl, Abby Brown, had witnessed the whole thing. She told me the truth. And, when mom was pregnant with you, she thought she could forgive Dan from abandoning her when she had me. She didn't know about him killing Keith. She didn't know any of that. Until I came in one night and threatened to kill Dan. Mom collapsed. Dan tried to help her but I wouldn't let him touch her. I told him to get out and when he didn't listen, I fired the gun. I didn't hit him, but I told him if he didn't get out, I would kill him. He left and I took care of mom. After that, mom believed me about Dan because he turned himself in. So, that's how Keith died."

Lily sat in her chair, tears silently falling from her eyes as she took in all the information. Finally, she wiped them away and looked up at Lucas, "How much did you love my dad?" Lucas sighed and rubbed his head, "He was like my dad. And, when I found out him and mom were engaged, he wanted to adopt me. He was going to be my dad. For real. But then Dan took him. But I loved him a lot. And I miss him everyday."

Lily stood up and walked to the door. Before she left, she turned to face Lucas, "Dad sounded like a good man. I'm sorry you never got the opportunity to call him dad." Lucas nodded and Lily left.

Peyton stood up and walked over to Lucas, "Well, that was almost spot on to that day. Why did you tell her anyways?" Lucas took ahold of Peyton's waist and pulled her down so that she was sitting in his lap, "She just came in and asked. And she has the right to know. It just got me thinking about that day again and I was hoping that I would forget it by now. I mean, it was so long ago."

Peyton smiled sadly and brushed the hair out of Lucas' eyes, "That day is never going to go away. It was scary but important. It will always be with us." Lucas closed his eyes and held onto Peyton, resting his head against her shoulder. She wrapped her arms around his neck and they sat there, just holding each other.

Then the door opened and Nathan and Haley came in. Nathan smirked, "You guys weren't doing anything… messy, were you?" Peyton laughed and stood up, "No. Lucas I came by to tell you that Haley hired me for the art class. Looks like I'm a teacher now." Lucas smiled, 'That's great and No, guys, we weren't. You missed Lily. She asked me how Keith died."

Haley gasped, "What did you tell her?" Lucas shrugged, "The truth. I told her about that day and how it happened." Nathan wrapped his arms around Haley's waist, "Why did she ask you? I mean, why not Karen?" Lucas stood up, "Because mom won't tell her. Anyways, what are you all doing here?"

Haley clasped her hands together, "You forgot the anniversary, didn't you?" Lucas tilted his head, "It's not your's, it's not mine. Who's is it?" Peyton rested her hand on Lucas' shoulder, "It's the anniversary to Keith's death. We're ready to head to the cemetery."

Lucas sat back in his chair. He had completely forgotten. A tear slid down his cheek and Peyton wiped it away, "It's okay, babe. Come on." Lucas stood up and took her hand. They visited Keith's cemetery every year. Right on the day he died.

They all filed out and Lucas shut the door. It was a day of loss and sorrow. But it was also a day of clarity. And Lucas had everyone to help him through when he was struggling with it. He would make sure Lily had everyone too.


End file.
